Bucknell NCAA Tournament-bound

Bison defeat Lafayette in Patriot League title game

Associated Press

Associated Press

Updated 12:49 am, Thursday, March 14, 2013

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 13: Dejan Kravic #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots during the game as the Red Raiders defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers 71-69 to win their first round game of the 2013 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at Sprint Center on March 13, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 13: Dejan Kravic #11 of the Texas Tech Red...

Bucknell's Mike Muscala looks to pass during the second half against Lafayette in an NCAA college basketball game for the Patriot League men's tournament title, Wednesday, March 13, 2013, in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell won 64-56. (AP Photo/Ralph Wilson)

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Mike Muscala scored six of his 20 points during a decisive second-half stretch to help Bucknell capture its second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons with a 64-56 win over Lafayette on Wednesday night in the Patriot League title game.

Joe Willman had 14 points and eight boards to form a potent frontcourt duo with Muscala, the conference player of the year for the top-seeded Bison (28-5). Muscala also had 11 rebounds.

Just like two years ago, Bucknell beat Lafayette (19-15) on its home floor to advance.

Joey Ptasinski had 15 points for Lafayette, including several buckets during a key second-half sequence that helped narrow a 12-point deficit to single digits. Ptasinski's layup off a backdoor cut drew the Leopards within 41-38 with 7:17 left.

That's when the 6-foot-11 Muscala took over, hitting turnaround jumpers and dominating the post during a 10-2 run that extended the lead to 51-40 with 3:52 left.

Big 12: Dejan Kravic rebounded Texas Tech's desperation shot and dropped it into the bucket just ahead of the buzzer, lifting the Red Raiders over West Virginia 71-69 in the opening round. Texas Tech (11-19), which lost twice to West Virginia in the regular season, gave up a 14-point lead in the first half but held on. Texas Tech will meet the regular-season champion, No. 7 Kansas (26-5), in Thursday's quarterfinals. ... Myck Kabongo had 16 points and six assists for Texas, which beat TCU 70-57.

Conference USA: Jordan Swing scored 17 points, including a layup with 9 seconds to play, and UAB beat SMU 53-52 to move on to the second round. ... TaShawn Thomas had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which beat Rice 72-67. ... Ricky Tarrant scored 21 points but none were bigger than his 3-pointer with 7 seconds left to give Tulane a 66-64 victory over Marshall.

MEAC: Adrien Coleman closed regulation with five consecutive points to force overtime and Bethune-Cookman handed top-seeded Norfolk State its first conference loss this season, 70-68, in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal action. ... North Carolina A&T also advanced to the semifinals with a 55-42 victory over North Carolina Central.

Pac-12: Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points and Colorado held off Oregon State 74-68. The Buffaloes will meet Arizona in Thursday's quarterfinals. ... Jahii Carson scored five of his 34 points in overtime and Arizona State held off Stanford 89-88. The Sun Devils will next take on UCLA. ... Jarred DuBois scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half and Utah beat Southern California 69-66.

SEC: Fred Thomas scored a career-high 21 points as No. 13 seed Mississippi State defeated No. 12 seed South Carolina 70-59 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. ... Elston Turner scored 22 points even with his broken left pinkie wrapped up in a splint, and Texas A&M beat Auburn 71-62.

Southland: Dontae Cannon scored 23 points, including the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds remaining, and McNeese State defeated Nicholls State 62-59 in the opening round. McNeese will take on Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday. ... Darius Gatson scored 19 points and Sam Houston State advanced with a 69-63 win over Central Arkansas. Up next for Sam Houston State is Oral Roberts.